Finally Together
by AfewSentencesShortOfaParagraph
Summary: This is the episodes All Falls Down- Parts 1 and 2 in Eli's POV. Enjoy, and if you have the time, read my other stories. Thanks for reading, guys, you're the best.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Degrassi, or the characters, but it would be pretty rad if I could be on the show. Just saying. **

**So, anyway, here is All Falls Down- Part 1. I assume most of you reading this are familiar with the way I write these, but if you are not, I break all the individual episodes into two parts. Welcome to the first half of All Falls Down- Part 1! Enjoy. =D :**

After the tussle with Fitz, Adam and I made our way to the back of the school. People were pouring out of the building at a fast pace. It was nearly the end of the day, but it certainly wasn't time to leave yet. Most of these people should be finishing up exams. "What do you think is going on?" I asked Adam as I wiped the blood off my lip.

"No clue," Adam said, drawing out his words in confusion. Just then we both spotted Sav, and ran up to him.

"Hey, man," I greeted him, "What the hell is the deal?" I asked, gesturing to all the people spilling out of the school.

"Someone must have set off a stink bomb," Sav said, clearly unhappy. "People had to stop in the middle of an exam, so tomorrow we're going to have to make up for it. Simpson is pissed, and wants to find the rat that did this."

I nodded. Whoever did it must have thought they could get out of their exam, when in reality this was going to make our last day before break more stressful and hectic.

At least that's what I was thinking until I noticed someone's absence. I turned to Sav, "Did you see Clare on your way out?" I asked him.

"Nope. Sorry, buddy," Sav responded. "You could ask Ali, though," he pointed her out to me across the sea of bodies.

"Thanks," I told him, already heading in his sister's direction. I turned around to call back to Adam, "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Adam said, his eyes sweeping the parking lot for Clare as well. Her absence was pretty weird. The three of us usually stuck together, so it was strange that Clare hadn't come to find Adam and me by now. It's not like she didn't know where we would be and what we would be doing…which led me to my theory about this stink bomb. Adam and I were occupying the biggest trouble maker of the school when it was set off, and if Ali didn't know where Clare was then I pretty much had an affirmation of what Clare was doing right now.

I pushed my way through the anxious crowd toward where Ali was standing with Adam's brother, Drew. I tapped her on the shoulder.

She looked surprised to see me there, requesting her attention. That was understandable; it wasn't like we were friends just because Clare and Ali were, so we didn't talk unless absolutely necessary. "Can I help you?" Ali asked, annoyed I had interrupted her moment with Drew. Truth was I didn't really like Ali that much. She wasn't exactly the best friend to Clare. Don't get me wrong, Ali's not mean, or a bully to Clare, but she is so obviously more interested in Clare being there to listen to Ali's problems, and never the other way around. In my humble opinion, Clare deserved better than that- much better.

"No, I just came by to bask in your marvelous-ness," I told her sarcastically, narrowing my eyes at her. When Clare wasn't around Ali and I made no effort to be civil. "Actually, I was wondering if you saw Clare anywhere on your way out of the building." I asked her, trying to hide my animosity.

"I figured she was with you…," Ali sounded worried to find this wasn't the case. I really should give Ali more credit: she does care about Clare; she just had trouble not being self-absorbed.

Either way I now had a pretty good idea of who set off the stink bomb. "Thanks," I told Ali earnestly, then ran off. I decided to check the front of the school, where Adam and I had left Fitz, before officially declaring Clare as MIA.

As I reached the front I noted that Fitz had apparently made it to his feet, and left. I did a quick sweep of the crowd before me, and, as I assumed, Clare was nowhere to be found. '_Very interesting_,' I thought to myself. I double checked the entire perimeter of the school for Clare before getting in Morty. I might as well think it through logically before pinning this on Clare. I had no clue whether Clare had the means, or not, but I'm sure it's not too hard to find a stink bomb. She definitely had a motive: Clare was worried about Adam, and she wasn't too keen on my idea to join him, instead of letting him go down alone. It would be just like her to try to evacuate the school, making it impossible for a fight to take place. Add in the fact that she was nowhere to be found after the crime had been committed, and that Fitz hadn't been the one to do it, and Clare seemed like a valid suspect.

I pulled Morty up to my house, parked him, and ran inside- anxious to call Clare. My mom was sitting in the kitchen, so I stopped to greet her.

"What happened to you!" She cried out.

I stood there, confused for a second, before I remembered my bloody lip. "Oh," I said, reaching up to touch it. The lip was only swollen a little; it would go down by tomorrow morning. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with my thoughts of Clare, and her possible criminal record, then I would have been smarter about hiding this from my mother.

"Oh? That's all you can say?" my mom hovered nervously.

"It's fine, really," I told her honestly, "I was helping out a friend who got into a sticky situation. You know Adam, Mom; he comes over here to play video games with me every now and then."

My mom just started at me, flabbergasted. "What if you had gotten suspended?" she asked, only slightly upset with me. My mom was used to me coming home with battle wounds from the various bullies I had to deal with. They still freaked her out though, so I usually did my best to hide them from her.

"I don't think I was in danger of that," I told her honestly. Not only had the stink bomb made that an impossibility (way to go, Clare), but I had gotten knocked down pretty early, and didn't have the chance to really fight.

She relaxed only slightly. "I'll go wash it; it'll be fine," I told her comfortingly, and then walked out of the kitchen. Before I washed it, though, I had some business to attend to. I walked into my room, closed to door, and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I dialed the number from memory, and then listened to it ring. I narrowed my eyes as it went to voicemail, "Hi," the voice recording chirped, "you've reached Clare's cell. Leave a message after the beep, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a great day."

I rolled my eyes- she was just way too perky and sincere it was almost impossible to believe that she had set off the stink bomb. "Clare, it's Eli," I started my message, "your mysterious disappearance has not gone unnoticed. Please, call me back." I snapped the phone shut. Of course she wasn't answering her phone when I needed her to.

Clare did not call me back. I waited all evening for the phone to ring, sending Clare the occasional text message as well, but it never did. I considered driving over to her place, but as it was I probably already seemed like a crazy person. I don't know why this was bothering me so much; just a week or so ago I was the one evading Clare. But I was bothered- I didn't like not hearing from Clare, and the sad thing was it had only been a few hours.

This manic behavior proved to me that I was ready to really take the next step with Clare. I didn't want to be without her, and I rarely ever thought about Julia anymore. Clare said she would give me time, but it turns out all I needed was a little space to prove that I wanted Clare to officially be my girlfriend.

The sense of urgency I felt to take our relationship to the next level was overwhelming. I wanted to call Clare and tell her the good news, or, better yet, rush to her house to tell her in person. Then I remembered I couldn't because Clare had momentarily fallen off the face of the Earth. I sighed, trying to collect myself. I would see her tomorrow; there was no way she could skip school because she had to take exams, so I had to calm down now. I crawled into my bed, took a few deep breaths, and tried to fall asleep. When I finally did, Clare was in every single dream I had.

The next morning, I walked into school, my determined aura rolling off me in waves. Today was going to be a good day, and nobody could bring me down.

The first stop I made was Clare's and my lockers, but she wasn't there. Adam, however, was.

"Hey, Adam, what's up?" I asked him.

"You're lip looks better," he commented happily.

I had forgotten all about it, to be honest. My mind was otherwise preoccupied. "Yeah," I said, "Have you seen Clare, per chance?" I asked him anxiously.

Adam chuckled. "Couldn't get a hold of her last night either could you?" I shook my head, laughing along with him. "That's why I'm at you're locker, actually. I saw her in the library, but I didn't say anything to her. She seemed nervous, you know? Anyway, I thought you would want to talk to her, so I waited here to let you know where she was." I really did have the most amazing friends.

"Thank you so much," I told Adam; patting his shoulder, "You're the best!"

"Yeah," he agreed, yelling after me as I walked toward the library, "Don't you forget it!"

Degrassi's library had a glass wall that gave students a clear view of the office, so I had a pretty good idea of what Clare was doing in there. I slipped in quietly, noticing her immediately. She looked adorable as usual, I noted. Adam was right; she had an anxious air about her, as she pretended to read a book. She wasn't doing a very good job, I might add- the book was open in her hands, but she wasn't exactly being discreet as she watched the office intently.

I snuck up behind her, chuckling as she did a frightened little jump when I leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Hiding from the po-po?"

She gaped, and smacked the book closed, "Just looking for a book," she told me, keeping up her miserable charade.

I followed her over to the shelves, and decided to let her know I was onto her. "Saving the world one stink bomb at a time," I raised my eyebrows at her. She turned to me, a sheepish look on her face. "I knew it was you!" I exclaimed; she didn't need to confirm it- her face told me everything. That's one of the things I loved most about her eyes- once you got to know Clare she couldn't hide anything from you, her eyes were too expressive.

"Someone had to stop Fitz from fighting Adam," She said, defending herself. So, I had her motive right, too. I smiled, priding myself on how well I had come to know her. I wanted to lean in right then to give her a kiss; tell her that I was ready to be in a relationship with her, but I restrained myself when she continued. "One second more, and he would have kick Adam's butt."

"I was the one who was going to kill," I told her. Not entirely true, but Clare didn't need to know that.

Clare rolled her eyes at me, and then glanced through the shelves to scope out the office one more time. I looked, too, and saw that Simpson was on his way over here. Clare went into freak out mode. "Simpson's coming over; he knows I did it. I'm going to get expelled," She whispered all this frantically, looking at me desperately.

"Three days suspension max," I told her, attempting to calm her down, "and only if you get caught." Lucky for Clare, I had a plan. I would clear her name, and then tell Clare the good news about us.

"Maybe I should just confess; throw myself at his mercy," Clare said nervously.

"Or let me handle it," I told her confidently. She shot me a confused, worried look. I raised my eyebrows at her before backing out of the bookshelves, and spinning to face Simpson. "Sir," I started, getting his attention, "I hate to be a rat, but I think you should question Mark Fitzgerald about the stink bomb. I heard him bragging about it," I lied smoothly. It would be easy to pin this on Fitz. He was a troublemaker, and the entire faculty knew it. Not to mention, even if he denied it, it was my word against his.

"Clare?" Principal Simpson turned to her, looking for a second opinion, "is this true?"

She shot a warning look at me before turning to Simpson. She wasn't really at liberty to deny it even if it did go against her principals. "Possibly," she said noncommittally. Smart girl.

"Okay," Simpson said, happy to have someone to focus on, "I'll look into it."

Now that I had taken care of that, I focused on Clare. "Justice has been served," I assured her, taking a step closer. She was so beautiful; her piercing blue eyes looked a little more relaxed.

"If Fitz finds out," she started to caution me, but I cut her off.

"I'll handle it," I promised, confident. I had one more thing I wanted to do before heading off to take my first exam of the day: Clare had to know I was ready. I smiled at her smugly, "Now, let's talk about something more important: like how you're going to thank me for throwing Simpson off your set." I took another half step closer to her, leaving almost no space in between us.

She crossed her arms, and pursed her lips, "What'd you have in mind?" she asked me playfully. '_You'll find out very soon_,' I thought to myself excitedly.

"Well," I started, we were so close, and I began to lean down, "I don't know." I said the last word against her lips. Clare's hands found their way to my shoulders, just as the kiss started out. This wasn't for any school project, so I didn't have to keep it PG. I trapped her top lip in between my own, and grazed it with my teeth. I let my hands find her wait, holding her up as Clare melted into me. I deepened the kiss, letting my tongue slip into her mouth. Her tongue met mine, and they danced around each other in a fun little pattern. I started to pull away slowly, making the kiss last as long as possible. My heart was pounding as Clare's bangs fell back over her eye. She blinked in surprise, and I felt my knees go just a little weak. I was breathless. I stared into her blue eyes, trying to communicate why I did that without having to talk, and ruin the moment. Then I remembered that I was in school, and had an exam in a few minutes. I couldn't think of anything to say really, my mind was filled with what just happened; making note of every blissful second, so I just told Clare, "I have a French exam…"

She was breathless, too; her words barely coming out above a whisper, "I think you just passed it." She looked me in the eye, and then her gazed dropped down to my lips, almost as if she were entranced by the idea that seconds ago they had been moving together with her own. I wish I could have stayed, but, regrettably, I could not, so I backed away. I heard Clare exhale as I walked out of the library. Before the library was completely out of sight I turned back to find Clare, with her fingers placed against her mouth, watching me leave. I flashed an elated smile at her before jogging off to my exam room.

Adam was already seated and ready. "How's Clare?" he asked me casually. I blushed, and Adam did a double take. "You're blushing?" he asked incredulously. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

I shot him a devilish smile. "I'd like to think she's a little weak in the knees," I told him anyway.

Adam shook his head, "Spare me the details. All I have to say is finally. It took you two long enough."

Just then Madame swooped in, placing an exam on each of our desks. "Begin," she declared loudly, and sat down at the front of the room. I glanced at the exam. Madame had put "French: The Language of Love" above all the questions. Immediately my mind jumped to Clare. I shook my head, trying to physically make room for French in there, but it was hard. The test definitely took me longer than it should have. My mind kept wandering back to the library. However, I was able to focus long enough to answer all the questions, hopefully correctly. As soon as I was done, I walked to the front of the room, handed it in, and practically ran out of there. I couldn't wait to find Clare again.

Adam was waiting outside the doors for me. "How did you do?"

"Good, I think. I hope. I don't know…I was a little distracted," I told him honestly, keeping a look out for Clare. "How do you think you did?" I asked him.

"Dude," he said, cutting me off by stepping in front of me, "you still are distracted. You don't have to make small talk with me, go ahead and go find Clare."

I laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so obvious about it. I do enjoy your company," I punched him lightly in the arm.

"I know," he nodded at me, "and your apology is accepted. Now go find Clare," he commanded me.

He didn't have to tell me twice. I took off for my locker to drop off my books before I went to look for Clare. Luckily for me, I didn't have to look very far- she came to me.

"How was your French exam?" She asked me bounding up to my locker, and leaning on the one next to it.

I stopped putting the books in my locker so I could look at Clare. She had a small smile on her face, her blue eyes especially excited. Her cheeks had a light blush to them, and her hair framed her delicate face perfectly. She was too cute for her own good; I just couldn't get over how beautiful she was. As soon as she was by my side it was like some part of me that I didn't know was worried, relaxed. "Way too long," I told her sincerely.

She smiled as I leaned in, about to pick up where we left off at the library. My heart started to beat out an irregular pattern as I got closer until Clare inhaled, pulling away just slightly, but enough to make me stop my advance. I pulled back a little raising my eyebrows at her in question. What did the mean? I panicked for the second.

"Does this mean I have a date to Vegas night?" Clare asked, her voice so full of hope that I relaxed. This was an acceptable reason to stop me. I had been afraid she hadn't wanted to.

"Depends," I smiled devilishly, "do we get a corsage?" We shared a small, sweet smile, and I leaned in again, anticipating the kiss.

Too bad a hand smacked the locker next mine on the other side, causing Clare to jump, and me to whirl around to see who was responsible. I should have guessed it was Fitz. He had probably just spent a good amount of time with the principal. His furious stare was a pretty good tip off to the way his morning had gone.

"I just spent an hour in Simpson's office," Fitz told me angrily, confirming my thoughts, "Someone told him I set off the stink bomb."

"Me and my loose lips," I smiled innocently at him.

Then, lightning quick, Fitz put me in a headlock. I assumed he had never met a bar of soap, let alone deodorant because being so close to his pits made me gag a little. The dude smelled rank. "Not so lippy now, are ya?" Fitz asked me as I pulled on his arm, trying to get free. I seriously couldn't breathe- the stink was that bad.

Thankfully a teacher walked past, and Fitz released me. I also pushed him away a little for good measure.

"This isn't over," he threatened me, before taking off down the hall.

I watched him leave, angry that he not only interrupted me and Clare, but he hadn't learned his lesson yet. When was this guy going to give it a rest? Didn't he know that brains beat brawn every time? "The dude's a menace," I commented bitterly, "Someone needs to teach him a lesson."

"Because that worked so well last time," Clare said worriedly, trying to meet my gaze. I looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but concern for me there. I wish I could put this to rest for Clare's sake. She worried about this feud far too much. "Can't you two just kiss and make up?" Clare pleaded with me.

I smirked. "He's not really my type," I joked with her. Not that I had thought Clare was my type in the beginning either, but look at us now. She was just what I needed.

"I'm serious, Eli. Someone is going to get hurt."

I sighed, and finished up in my locker, closing it. "The only way to avoid a bully is to keep him scared," I told her. I knew from years of experience. Clare really had nothing to worry about.

"Or," Clare started hesitantly, "you could lay low with your…girlfriend?" She seemed cautious, like I might not take too well to her referring to herself as my girlfriend, when in reality, I made my heart swell.

"Twist my rubber arm, girlfriend," I conceded, smiling happily at her. She beamed back at me, grabbing my hand and pulling it around her shoulders. I wound my fingers in with hers- they fit together perfectly. She grabbed me tightly around my waist, and we started off down the hall together. I couldn't help but glance at her every few seconds or so.

To say that I hadn't been this happy in a year was an understatement- I had never been this happy in my whole life.

**Wow, guys, this is by far the longest chapter I have ever written. I didn't even mean to ramble on like that, so I'm sorry. I still hope you enjoy it, though. Please, let me know what you think. I love getting your feedback. **

**I hope to have the second part of this first episode up soon. Until then, have fun with this one! Thanks for reading. =) **


	2. Complications

**I hope you are all well. I love you guys who keep reading, not to mention reviewing, my stories. You're seriously the best!**

**Well, without further ado I present to you All Falls Down-Part 2. (That rhymed!) Enjoy! =) :**

"When's your next exam?" I asked Clare as we walked, still linked together, down the hall toward the picnic tables outside.

"In about fifteen minutes," Clare replied, the regret clear in her voice.

I smiled at the fact that she seemed upset about leaving me in just fifteen short minutes. I had to admit, I was a little upset myself. I wanted to soak up as much Clare as possible because she was going away to her grandma's for Spring Break. It would seem that I had pretty bad timing. "Mine is in thirty," I told her as we reached the picnic table, set down our books and bags, and then settled in next to each other, my arm still around her shoulders. "So we have the next fifteen minutes together," I whispered happily in her ear. She shivered in response. I let my lips trail lightly along her jaw bone, to the center of her cheek. I felt the heat rise into her face, making her blush, as I planted a big kiss right on her cheek.

"I really should be studying right now," Clare said with not much enthusiasm or force. She also made no move to push me away.

I moved my lips back to her ear. "Is that really what you want to be doing right now?" I asked her, already knowing the answer. I caught her earlobe between my teeth, and nibbled just a bit. Clare's breathing hitched, and I feel my pulse speed up to an unnatural pace.

"What I want and what I need are two very different things," Clare said- her voice a whisper. I would have continued, but she put one hand on my chest and gave me a gentle, but deliberate, push. "Do you want to be the cause of my failure?" Clare asked playfully, with a hint of seriousness.

"No," I answered honestly, "but I do want to be the one who causes you to shiver like that again," I qualified, raising my eyebrows flirtatiously at her, smirking just a tad.

"And you will," Clare comforted me, "after you help me study." I rolled my eyes. "Please?" She added, her begging me with her eyes.

I couldn't help it, I caved almost instantly, "Your wish is my command," I told her sincerely. There really wasn't anything I wouldn't do for Clare.

"Thank you," she chirped happily, handing me some note cards pertaining to Biology. I dutifully flipped from one note card to the next watching the sun play off Clare's hair, bringing out the red that was in it. Once we had gotten through all the cards, Clare had gotten every single one right, I grabbed Clare's wrist to look at her watch- we still had ten minutes. "So, tell me," Clare said as she slid into my side, leaning her head against my shoulder, "what…I mean why…earlier?" Clare struggled.

I laughed, "Why now, you mean?" I asked her. She simply nodded, looking up at me expectantly. "Well," I began, slightly embarrassed, "it was mostly because you weren't returning my calls, and I was going crazy not hearing from you. It made me realize that I don't ever want to be without you, Clare."

She sat there, speechless, staring into my eyes. When she spoke, she sounded incredulous, "That's all I had to do! Not call you for an afternoon?" I chuckled.

"Well, when you put it like that it makes me sound like an idiot," I joked with her.

"You are an idiot," she shot back, and leaned forward, planting a small kiss on my nose. An electric shock radiated through my body. "Now," She said sliding away from me and collecting her things. I started to protest, but she cut me off, "I have to go buy tickets to A Night in Vegas. My boyfriend and I are going, and I had to ask him, so I figured it would only be fair for me to foot the bill."

"Wow, this boyfriend of yours sounds like a real slacker."

"As long as he pays for the next few dates, I don't mind in the least," she said, smiling widely at me.

"I'll let him know that," I told her, winking; "he'll probably want to make a note." She laughed; the sound echoing across the courtyard. I smiled back at her- I loved the sound of her laugh. "I'll meet you and Adam after my history exam- by our lockers?" I suggested. She nodded, and then ran off to buy the tickets.

I sat at the picnic table for a few more minutes just taking everything in. I should have been studying for my exam, but I really didn't want to ruin my buoyant mood with History. Instead, I pulled out the memory of Clare's and my first kiss, playing it in my head a few times. I smiled as I thought about how often I would be able to do that now. All those times I had to restrain myself from kissing Clare had not been in vain- she was mine at last. Not that I owned her, I wasn't misogynistic, but it really was gratifying to think that Clare cared about me just as much as I did for her. Our relationship was going to last; it was long term. I would make sure of it.

With ten minutes left before my exam I figured I couldn't put off studying forever, so I pulled out my notebook, and carefully reread all the notes I had taken. I wasn't particularly worried about the exam, history was mostly common sense.

After I had endured a few minutes of studying I slung my backpack over my shoulder, and trudged off to the exam room.

The test was passed out, quick instructions were given, and I started in on the mind-numbing exam. I kept thinking to myself '_30 more questions till I see Clare_,' or '_4 more questions till I see Clare_,' until I ran out of questions. I quickly handed in the exam, and loped out of the room, rushing to get to my locker.

I saw Adam and Clare before they saw me. Their books were spread out around them, clearly studying, and Adam was skeptically listening to whatever Clare was saying. As soon as I was in ear shot I heard Adam telling Clare, "yeah, sounds just like him."

'_Who's him?_,' I thought briefly to myself. Out loud, to get their attention, I joked, "Okay, please tell me an ostrich started World War 1." I looked at Adam, who rolled his eyes at me, then turned to Clare, who refused to meet my gaze. She turned her head to the side so I couldn't see her eyes; her discomfort was rolling off of her in waves. I eyed her, confused. "Spit it out, Edwards," I requested, curious as to what could be making her act this way.

"Well," she started out nervously, "you know, i-i-it's funny that you should, um, you should mention World War 1 because, well, many say that the revenge enacted by the League of Nations on Germany, post war, was responsible for the outbreak of World War 2." She let out a nervous giggle, still not meeting my questioning stare.

If that was supposed to be some kind of explanation, or metaphor, then I wasn't catching on. I paused for a second, waiting to see if Clare planned on elaborating, but she didn't. So, I turned to Adam. "What…is she talking about?" I narrowed my eyes, letting my confusion saturate my voice.

I don't know what kind of response I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the one I got. "Clare's going to Vegas Night with Fitz," Adam told me, matter-of-factly. My response was immediate- I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. This piece of information was literally painful to me as it registered in my mind. Then, the anger hit me like a train. Why the hell was Clare going on a date, a date that she and I were supposed to share no less, with my enemy! I would have been mad had she said she was going with anyone that wasn't me, considering we had just made our relationship official, but this seemed like more of a betrayal then if Clare had picked up anyone out of the student body. Clare and Fitz? Ugh, I didn't even want to think about it- there were no words. She had better have a good reason for this.

I was so distracted by all this going through my head that I barely heard Clare scold Adam. "Adam!" she said, flabbergasted that he had just came out and hit me with that information.

"It's better to rip the bandage off," Adam said, defending himself before quickly grabbing his backpack and racing down the hall. Clearly he didn't want to stick around for my reaction- smart move.

"I'm waiting for the punch line," I warned Clare darkly.

"Fitz promised to leave you alone if I went to Vegas Night with him," Clare told me, ashamed.

I relaxed slightly. I don't know what had made me think that Clare had actually wanted to go with Fitz for pleasure, rather than to just protect me. Anger is an irrational emotion, I suppose. Still… "And you said yes?" I asked her, still incredulous and irate.

"I want this stupid feud to be over," Clare was trying desperately to get me to see her side of things. She could tell I was pretty upset. "If I go with Fitz tonight, I think I can make that happen," she reasoned with me.

I paused, thinking it over. While I didn't like the idea of Clare going on a date with Fitz, at all, I took solace in the fact that she wasn't going to enjoy it. Not to mention she was doing this for me. I would return the favor by not being such an ass about it. I really didn't like that Clare got herself so worked up about this, so if she could put Fitz's mindless vendetta against me to rest, well, more power to her. Clare did have a way with people, so it might even be possible. "I supposed crazier things have happened," I finally allowed.

"So, you're not mad?" Clare asked me, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

I didn't want to lie to her, so I didn't. "Just a little bit," I qualified, letting a little sarcasm creep into my voice. I was still pretty pissed, but I could also see where Clare was coming from, so I was willing to look past it.

Clare surprised me by being happy about my response. "Good," She smiled at me, and I let my lips curl up into a tiny smile as well. This drama with Fitz aside, I was still the happiest I had ever been- Clare just had that affect on me. But Fitz would be sorry if he…deep breath. I wasn't going to get angry- for Clare's sake. "I still have an hour before I meet Ali," Clare told me, recapturing my attention, "Coffee?"

I wanted to, I really did, but I needed some time to cool down, and gather myself. I didn't want to lose it. I would show Clare I was mature enough to handle her solution to the Fitz problem. So, I skipped out on her. "Rain check?" I asked her, mentally kicking myself when the discouragement washed over her face.

"Sure," she told me, resigned. I nodded at her, and walked away, headed to the parking lot where I had parked Morty. All the while, I was reciting to myself to stay cool and calm. That was, until I saw Fitz hanging out on the back stairs. He was laughing and joking as if he didn't have a care in the world; as if he wasn't taking advantage of the sweetest girl there ever was. My anger swelled, and I pushed out the door to confront him- that bastard.

"You're a big man, Fitzy," I walked right up to him, unable to hide the fact that I was furious, "using Clare to get back at me." I wished at that moment that I could develop heat vision, and burn the guy to a crisp…weird impulse, but it would have come in handy.

"Your girl came to me, man," Fitz started. The words brought bile to my mouth. This was really happening. "I guess she's looking for a boyfriend who wears less eye makeup than she does." I really, really wanted to punch him, hard, in the face. I wanted to hear a satisfying crunch come from his nose. This just wasn't fair- to me, or to Clare. I had never hated anyone before, but in that moment I learned what it felt like. I hated Fitz; legitimately hated him. The feeling left my whole body burning with a kind of slow, torturous sensation.

"You hurt her," I started to threaten him, but he cut me off, making me hate him even more.

"And you'll what, tough guy?" He mocked me. I didn't have the words to answer him- I was just too angry to come up with something cruel enough to do to Fitz if he so much as laid a finger on Clare. "That's what I thought," Fitz said confidently, mistaking my silence as surrender. He started to walk away, but turned back, "But don't you worry, when we have sex, I'll be gentle." Then he turned and walked out of my sight.

I had a limit to how much anger my body could hold, a snapping point, and Fitz had just sent me over the edge. My hatred for him deepened, and I flushed bright red as the fire started to burn hotter. Fitz had better not touch Clare because if he did, I was not going to be held responsible to the things I would do to him. As it was, I was leaning against the rail of the stairs, hanging on for dear life. I didn't know what I would do if I let go, but I didn't want to find out.

I closed my eyes, and pinched the bridge of my nose. I counted every deep breath I took, allowing myself to calm down to a more rational state of mind. Okay, clearly killing Fitz would not be the right solution to this problem, but that didn't mean I couldn't make him suffer a little. The question was…how to do that. I turned this thought over in my mind as I climbed into Morty. I decided I had calmed down enough, and was able to drive just fine. The whole ride home I thought of what I was going to do. I couldn't stop Clare from going with Fitz, but I should warn her about what he had said. I didn't want him catching her off guard. I would never forgive myself.

As soon as I got home, I walked into the bathroom and opened up our medicine cabinet. Sitting there on one of the shelves was the bottle that was the perfect solution. I didn't know why we had a bottle of ipecac I our medicine cabinet, but we did, so I was going to take advantage of it. I slipped it into my pocket, smiling at myself. I felt a little better knowing that Fitz was going to get a taste of his own medicine.

I glanced at the clock. Ali and Jenna would be over Clare's by now, but I really didn't want to wait…this was kind of important, so I hopped right back into Morty, and took off toward Clare's house.

I parked Morty in the street, bounded up to the door, and rang the doorbell. I expected Clare to open the door, but instead I came face to face with Jenna.

"Speak of the devil," she announced. So they had been talking about me, I noted. I also took that as an invitation to come in, so I walked forward a couple steps until I saw Clare sitting at the table.

"Hey," I greeted her, trying to sound casual.

"Hey," she replied, standing up.

"Can I talk to you outside?" I asked her, my voice still subdued, as I glanced at my car.

"Yeah," Clare immediately agreed, "Sure." She walked past me out the door, which I closed shut behind me. Clare walked over to Morty, and leaned against him casually. I noticed that Clare, although not really dressed in a Vegas Night appropriate dress, still looked sexy. She didn't need makeup or skin-tight clothes- she was just naturally, effortlessly sexy. While I was allowed to appreciate that kind of thing, my anger flared again as I realized Fitz might think the same thing when he saw her later. "What's wrong?" Clare asked, eyeing me worriedly, "You seem stressed."

"You could say that…" I told her; amazed that she had picked up on that so quickly. I had become a master at hiding my emotions, but somehow Clare always knew what I was feeling.

"So," Clare prompted, "what is it?"

"I need you to do me a favor," I started out cautiously.

"Anything for you," Clare agreed easily. She was going to regret that once she found out what I was asking of her. "What do you need me to do?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the little white bottle. "It's ipecac," I held it up to her. "It makes people barf."

Clare, not seeing where I was going with this, joked with me. "Most guys just buy flowers."

I needed to clarify, but I knew Clare wasn't going to be too happy about this. "I want you to slip it into Fitz's drink," I told her, staring her down unwaveringly.

Clare paused, then looked away, clearly disappointed in me. "What happened to being the bigger man?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I can't," I told her honestly, "not anymore." Not after what Fitz said to me.

"Because?" Clare prompted, miffed.

"Don't be naïve," I told her, and she raised her eyebrows at me in question, "Fitz is a bad guy," I continued. Then, I forced the next sentence out of my mouth trying not to wince, or throw up, just from saying them. "He wants to have sex with you," I warned her.

She did not seem appropriately outraged at this. "Oh, well then, you're right," she said, snarky, "the appropriate response is to poison him."

"I told you," I sad, exacerbated, "this is how you control bullies- keep them scared"

"Do you know who also uses those tactics?" She questioned. When I didn't answer, she responded, "Terrorists."

"I don't understand, whose side are you on?" From where I was standing it seemed an awful lot like Clare was defending Fitz. But that couldn't be right could it?

"I'm not sure," Clare told me, enunciating each word with equal distaste, "but I know it's not the side that poisons people." And with that, she stormed back into her house, leaving me outside.

As I heard the door slam shut many conflicting emotions raged inside of me. I couldn't tell if I was angry that Clare wouldn't see that Fitz was evil, or if I was upset that we had just fought. One thing was sure, though- tonight, Fitz was going down.

**What do you guys think? Was it a good or bad chapter? Was it merely mediocre? Let me know! Hah. **

**By the way, who has seen the newest Degrassi preview? I am super pumped- it's looking like I'll have a lot of great, new Eli POV's to write. =D**

**Anyway, thank you for reading. You all rock my world! **


	3. Anger Management

**I know you all technically know what happens, but I always feel bad that I can't produce these chapters within minutes. Oh well, I do the best I can. =)**

**Who's excited for the first half of All Falls Down- Part 2? I am, and you should be too, because here it is! Enjoy. :**

I stood in front of Clare's house for a few seconds longer, almost hoping she would come back out, and we could talk about what just happened. She didn't come back, however, so I climbed back into Morty and slowly drove home.

I didn't think I was in the wrong here. After all, Fitz was the one who clobbered Morty in the first place; he had started it. And if he was going to hurt Clare, or, I winced thinking it, have sex with her; I was going to finish it- plain and simple. Then again, I was stubborn, so maybe I was missing something. Like, for example, the reason Clare was so upset…

A little ipecac never killed anyone; it would just make Fitz throw up. And it would only be once, but it would be satisfying, and Fitz would know not to mess with me or, even more importantly, Clare ever again. But, knowing Clare, I could see how doing something like slipping Fitz a little ipecac would go against her principles. She was just too good a person, and that was also the reason she had a date with Fitz in the first place. Thinking about it made my face flush with frustration and helplessness. This just sucked a big one, and there was no way I could talk Clare out of going through with the date now that I had pissed her off. I was so stupid!

'_Deep breaths_,' I told myself, forcing the air in and out. I parked Morty in front of my house and walked inside. I immediately holed myself up in my room, trying to avoid my mother, and anyone else who might be in the house.

I was not looking forward to tonight in the least. I would have to watch Clare and Fitz's date. Knowing they were on one was bad enough, but having to witness it was going to be torture. I realized then that I was still pretty angry with Clare for agreeing to date the asshole. Of course, it was nothing compared to the fury I felt when I thought that Fitz had the balls to ask her in the first place, but I was struggling with the reasons Clare had agreed to it. True, she said it was for me, and I appreciated that, I really did, but I wished Clare had stayed out of it. I would have handled it just fine on my own, and it would have been far less personal. Mess with me- fine, I won't be happy, but I can deal with it, but if you mess with the people I care about most you had best watch your back. Fitz was going to be sorry.

Not going tonight, though, was far less appealing. Even if watching Clare and Fitz would be extremely painful, I could make sure Fitz stayed in line. So, with hesitation, I started to get ready. As I was pulling out my red jacket, deciding to spice it up tonight with some color, I realized I didn't have a ticket anymore- just another reminder that Fitz was the biggest jerk on the planet. I would have to show up earlier than I had planned to purchase one, so I quickly finished dressing. I grabbed the ipecac off my bed, and shoved it back into my pocket, just in case. I felt better knowing that if I needed to, I could still show Fitz what I was made of.

I walked out of my room, securing the padlock, and then searched for my mom. I founder her in her room reading a novel. "Hi," I whispered. My mom had a tendency to be jumpy, especially if her mind was occupied.

I still managed to scare her a little, though. Her hand flew to her chest in shock. "Oh, Eli, it's just you," she said relieved.

"Were you expecting someone else? Like the Boogey Man?" I asked, noticing that she was reading a thriller- James Patterson, by the looks of it.

She laughed at me, but otherwise ignored my mocking. "Was there something you needed?"

"Nope," I told her curtly, "just thought you would want to know I'm headed out. See you in the morning." She just nodded, and went back to reading. I took that as a dismissal, and walked out to Morty. I had to say it was nice to have parents that trusted me so unconditionally that they never asked questions about who I was with or where I was going. They were confident that no matter what I would always be back the next morning.

I drove to school, my music blasting. I really didn't want to think too much about Fitz or Clare, and I especially didn't want to dwell on the fact that they were probably together right now. So, like I usually did in the presence of unwanted thoughts, I drowned myself in the music.

The only problem was I simply could not stop the concerns from plaguing my brain. I mean, what if Clare actually enjoyed herself? Maybe being with someone who wasn't literally, clinically psychologically unsound would make her realize how horrid I really am. Not that Fitz is a catch, but I still have my problems…problems that I have been keeping from Clare. She clearly deserved better, but, on the other hand, Fitz really wasn't 'better'. I needed to stop worrying. Even with our little argument earlier I knew Clare cared about me. Yeah, I just had to keep telling myself that, or I would go insane tonight.

I arrived at the school right on time: seven on the dot, and walked inside. All the while, I was scanning for Clare or Fitz, but I didn't see them. Maybe they weren't here yet. The table to purchase last minute tickets was set up just outside the gym, and Holly J was selling them. I only knew her because she hung around with Sav a lot, so we made small talk as she took my money from me.

"Only one?" She asked, bewildered for whatever reason.

"Yeah…," I trailed off, letting the awkwardness settle around us as she handed me my ticket. "Why do you sound so surprised?" I don't know why I was asking, it wasn't like I actually cared what she thought. I guess I was just hanging around the entrance to see if Fitz and Clare would show up.

"Well, you and Clare are pretty close, yeah?" She commented, "So, I think it's weird that you didn't ask her. Not that it's any of my business; it just strikes me as odd."

"You're right," I said, emotionlessly, "It is none of your business." Holly J just nodded as if she understood.

Just then Fitz walked through the door, loping slowly, casually toward the ticket table. A tiny part of me felt relief to see that Clare was not with him. He did, however, have a corsage in his hands, and it made me think of the moment Clare and I had shared earlier that day by our lockers. Jealousy, powerful and relentless, gripped a hold of me. "Hey, Emo Boy," Fitz greeted me, "What, no date tonight? That's a shame. You should really meet my date- I think you would like her. Tonight, I'll get the chance to, if you know what I mean." He sneered at me, and strode into the gym.

The fire flared up in my chest again, sending the flames shooting through my veins. All rational thoughts left me, and I could feel myself start to shake with uncontrollable rage. That was it! With or without Clare's help or consent Fitz was going to learn to true consequences of messing with Elijah Goldsworthy. There were no other options.

"Hey, Eli," Holly J said softly, placing a restraining hand on my shoulder, "calm down." '_Yeah, right_,' I thought to myself, '_calm_.' I took several deep breaths, listening to the whoosh of the air entering and leaving my lungs. It was a simple motion, something easy to focus on- like the waves of an ocean. Okay, much better. I had control of myself again, but Fitz was still going to be sorry he had messed with Clare and me. "Do you, um, want to talk about it?" Holly J asked tentatively.

"No," I told her bluntly, and walked past her to join the rest of the student body in the gym. You could tell they had worked hard on the decorations: a large projection was at the front of the room and there were gambling tables all around. Degrassi had been carefully transformed, and, in honor of Vegas, everyone was dressed like a hooker. Lovely.

"Hey," A perky voice sounded from behind me. "Red is a good color for you," Adam commented, "You look very debonair."

"Thanks," I replied, a small smile on my face, "I see you couldn't stand to leave the beanie at home." I gestured to his head, chuckling. I was glad to have Adam around. He was the one person who hated Fitz as much as I did. Not to mention, Adam had a great personality, and it rubbed off on you when you were with him. His uplifted mood immediately brought me to a happier place.

"It just goes so well with my tux," Adam said, feigning seriousness.

"That it does," I conceded. "Hey, man, do you know if Clare's here yet?"

"I haven't seen her, no. Fitz came in a few seconds ago, before leaving to go to his locker, though," Adam said cautiously. His eyes surveyed the gym again, as did mine, both of us checking for Clare.

"Yeah, we had a run in at the ticket table," I told Adam with bitterness that made my lips curl up in disgust.

"What did he say?" Adam asked me cautiously.

"More allusions to how he's going to hook up with Clare tonight," I winced thinking about it. "You have to help me keep an eye on her, okay?" I asked him desperately. He nodded, so I continued, "I have a plan to show Fitz what I'm really made of, and, unlike the fake ID, it will have instant results."

"You're not going to, like, kill him…are you?" Adam sounded worried. Funny how I was a little offended even though earlier that had been all I wanted to do.

"Of course not; I wouldn't actually do that," I told Adam, narrowing my eyes at him.

He held his hands up in surrender, "I'm just looking out for you. You seem really pissed, and I don't want you to do something you'll regret later. Anyway, what is this plan of yours? You have my undivided attention and curiosity."

I grabbed the bottle and handed it to Adam. "At some point in the evening this will find its way into Fitz's drink," I declared proudly.

Adam nodded, and handed it back. "Does Clare know about this?"

I flinched. "Let's not talk about that, okay." Adam just shook his head at me. "Thirsty?" I asked him.

"Parched," he declared, and we made our way over to the 'bar'. I was sipping a glass of water when Adam poked me in the ribs, and gestured to the front door. "She's here."

I didn't have to turn to know who she was, but I did anyway. She really did look amazing tonight, the dress she had on fit her perfectly, her curled hair bounced with every movement of her head, and she was flushed. Best of all, she just looked so pure dressed mostly in white. There would be no way she would let Fitz take advantage of her- she was a smart girl. Sensing that someone was staring her eyes wandered over to me. I tried to catch and hold her attention, but she just shook her head at me scanning the crowd once more before coming to join Adam and me.

When she got to us she talked only to Adam. "Have you seen Fitz?" she asked him. I cringed.

"I think he might still be at his locker," Adam told her, looking between Clare and I as the silence consumed the three of us. "I have to go…over there," Adam said, pointing to nowhere in particular before taking off. That was really the best excuse he came up with. I shook my head, and chuckled.

"I don't see what's so funny," Clare said sharply. Then she turned to leave, but I caught her arm and spun her back around to face me. I let my hand run down her arm so I could grab her hand. She shivered a little, but wouldn't meet my probing gaze.

"I'm sorry, Clare," I said, letting my sincerity ring out in every word. I was sorry; I never wanted to hurt Clare. "I was just upset, so I let my emotions get the best of my logic."

"I have to go find Fitz," she said pulling away from me.

My heart sank, and the anger flared again. "Fine," I tried to convey only my anger, and not the fact that her not accepting my apology wounded me. I walked away from her, not looking back.

I ended up at one of the many tables that had been set up. I watched the game for a few minutes before picking up on the rules. Then, with nothing better to do, I joined the game play. I soon found it was very easy to get caught up in the excitement of gambling. No wonder people got addicted. I didn't even stop to listen to who won the silly king and queen competition, and I had no idea how much time had passed. The only thing I had noticed was that Clare had not come back yet, and it was a little disturbing.

But I pushed all negative thoughts out of my head, and focused on winning. "Come on lucky seven!" I chanted as I jiggled the dice around in my hand. Just as I was letting them go Clare came up beside me. Well, it was about damn time. "Having fun on your date, Judas?" '_Yeah, that's right; Eli Goldsworthy just made a Bible reference. Go ahead and revel in the irony, Clare, do it. I dare you..._,' I thought to myself grimly. "I bet Fitz is a real dreamy kisser," I added, shielding my pain and disgust with sarcasm.

"You can't be mad at me because I wouldn't slip ipecac into Fitz's drink," Clare said defensively. Is that what she thought I was so upset about?

I decided I would give her a hint as to what was really bothering me. "Can I be mad you're with him?" I shot at her with anger and frustration.

"He threatened to hurt you," Clare reminded me, "What was I supposed to do?"

I shook my head. "Let me handle it," I told her for what seemed like the millionth time, exasperation coloring my voice. This situation would all be so much easier if Clare hadn't gotten herself involved.

"Because that was working so well," Clare responded, heavy on the sarcasm. She paused for a moment, and I looked away. It was working fine, and eventually Fitz would have either gotten bored, or hurt. But Clare had made it a fun game for Fitz again; became one of his pawns. She had given Fitz access to the weakest link in my armor: herself. "Fitz isn't the monster you think he is," she told me. I could hear in her voice that she actually believed that, and it made me sick. Monsters are the kind of people who take advantage of sweet girls like Clare- a.k.a Fitz. "He's willing to bury the hatchet," she told me happily. '_If that's what it takes to have sex with you, I'm sure he is_,' I thought to myself darkly. My hatred flared again. Clare was still trying to get a response out of me. "He just wants one thing…," she trailed off.

Because I was just thinking about it, my mind automatically came up with the worst case scenario. "You're gonna sleep with him!" The words escaped my mouth as a whine unintentionally. The thought just hurt way to much- it was worse than the fire of hatred for Fitz. It couldn't take it, wouldn't take.

Thankfully, Clare put me out of my misery almost immediately. "No!" She told me quickly, sounding disgusted. The knot in my stomach unclenched itself, and my shoulders drooped. If I had believed in a higher being, I would have taken this time to thank them. "You're going to apologize," she revealed what it would take for Fitz to lay off.

"For what?" I asked, incredulous. I turned to look Clare in the eye. I wasn't the one who started it, and it was all about survival of the fittest, so it wasn't like I could stand by and let him bully me. I was not in the wrong here. Clearly she could see that an apology would only be effective if it came from him.

"Anything he wants, please, Eli," Clare begged. I paused before answering. Maybe I could be the bigger man- for Clare. Those beautiful eyes of her silently pleaded with me. I couldn't help myself, and I caved.

"Fine," I told her softly.

Her eyes lit up, and I could tell at once that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. I could also see, amazingly, that with my surrender I had been forgiven. "Really?" She asked excitedly, "You'll apologize?" How could I let down such a face?

I had to warn her, though: "But I won't mean it."

She was completely unfazed, obviously just happy that I was making an effort to end the altercation. "As long as you sell it," she qualified. I could do that, so I nodded at her in defeat. "I'm going to go get him," she sighed contently and squeezed my arm. The little physical things that she did made me heart squeeze.

However, as soon as she had left the room I realized I had this one chance to get Fitz back for everything he had done to me today alone. Crap…I was torn: please Clare, or satisfy my desire to rip Fitz to shreds. It was clear I wasn't going to get another opportunity like this to mess with Fitz; a plan had already formed in my head. Not to mention, Clare would understand, and even if she didn't I could smooth things over later. Once I was through with Fitz she would realize what I had done wasn't so bad in the first place compared to what I wanted, or could, do to Fitz.

I had convinced myself: revenge first, Clare later. It seemed like a foolproof plan to me. So I walked away from the card tables, and found a bowl of punch. After filling two glasses I dug the little white bottle out of my pocket one last time, and dropped two drops into 'my' drink.

I knew Clare knew me well enough. But I knew her equally well. She would catch on when I would suggest a toast, and request that we switch. If I start out with the ipecac then Fitz would end with it. I smirked to myself. I could almost taste the satisfaction. But on the off chance Clare didn't make us switch I could just pretend to drink, and everything would be just fine…but I was pretty confident that she would.

"Okay," Clare declared marching up to me dragging Fitz by the arm. I quickly stashed the ipecac. "We're here- all set for the apology." Clare was smiling; she had complete confidence in me, and I almost ditched the toast idea. That was until I looked at Fitz face which was settled into a smug, self-righteous mask. I could feel my hatred for him simmer.

"You know," I said, turning to Clare to make a last minute attempt to get out of this, "in some places this would be considered blackmail."

"Eli," Clare chastised me, "stop procrastinating." She widened her eyes, and looked towards Fitz, prompting me.

"Yeah, Eli," Fitz was getting the biggest kick out of this, probably picking up on the fact that I was utterly whipped, "do what the lady says." He was such a smug bastard. Once again, I had the urge to punch him. I wanted to physically erase the egotistical look on his face.

I looked at Clare one more time. She had to realize how much of a jerk this guy was. But no, once again, she took his side, narrowing her eyes at me.

Fine, I would play along for the time being. I put as much sincerity into my words as I could muster, which wasn't a whole lot, and looked Fitz right in the eye, "I'm sorry. For everything."

Fitz started to shake his head, "That's not going to do. You said the words, but I didn't feel them." My hand twitched as if it had a mind of its own, and that mind was telling it to make contact with Fitz's face. I clenched it into a fist, and stuck it in my pocket. There was no way I was apologizing again. As it was my pride already hurt.

"Okay, enough," Clare was finally intervening on my behalf, "Fitz, you got your apology. Now shake hands."

Here it was- my golden opportunity. "Or," I suggested, as if this was a thought that just hit me out of nowhere, "we could toast to a ceased fire." I could see Clare's skeptical expression in the corner of my eye. I handed Fitz the drink without ipecac, and held my glass in the air. Fitz mirrored my movement, and I put the cup to my lips. '_Any second now_,' I thought.

"Wait," Clare cried, right on cue, "stop. Trade cups." I smiled, I knew it. When Fitz shot her a questioning stare she came up with a lame justification, "It's an ancient Roman custom."

I shrugged at Fitz. "She's the boss," I told him, handing him my glass, and taking his. "Lechayim," I toasted, taking a big swig of my ipecac-free drink. Fitz also took a large gulp of his cup. I kept on my poker face, not wanting to clue Clare in. She was already watching me, relaxing when I wasn't afraid to drink, and when it looked like I wasn't going to throw up. Just as I heard Clare breathe a sigh of satisfaction Fitz started to gag. A trash can was conveniently located by the punch table, so Fitz leaned over it and heaved. Adam, who was standing close by looked over and raised an eyebrow at me, perhaps surprised that I had gone through with it. After Fitz had emptied the contents of his stomach he ran off. I couldn't help it- I laughed. Who was the big man now, eh, Fitzy?

"What did you do?" Clare demanded, disturbed.

"Hey," I said, "You're the one who made us switch cups." Technically true, but I had taken advantage of the fact that Clare was a worrier.

"Oh, don't you dare pin this on me." She was so furious her nostrils were flaring. "Whatever Fitz does to you, you deserve it," she stabbed her finger at me, before whirling around and stomping out of the gym.

I was fucking sick of disappointing Clare. I was fucking sick of Fitz taking advantage of me and my friends. But I was mostly fucking sick of Clare sticking up for the sorry excuse of a person. '_Right back at you, Edwards_,' I thought to myself, my emotions so conflicting that they were incomprehensible, '_Right. Back. At. You_.'

**Ahh, craziness! I'm a little nervous about the next segment…the scenes and emotions are pretty intense. I hope I can do them justice. I hope to have it up by the end of the weekend. Until then, what did you think of this one? **


	4. Cut Like a Knife

**Just in case any of you have forgotten, I don't own Degrassi. Shocking, I know, but try not to go into cardiac arrest. **

**Anyway, tis the moment you have all been waiting for (if you haven't that's understandable, but pretend for me. I'm trying to be dramatic.)… THE LAST PART OF ALL FALLS DOWN- PART 2! Try to contain your excitement, people, because here it is! Thanks for reading; enjoy yourselves. =) :**

Adam found me in the bathroom. I was sitting on the counter, my head resting against the mirror, as I mumbled to myself. "I knew I would find you in here," Adam seemed relieved that I was indeed still alive.

"Why's that?" I asked him, only slightly curious. I mean, it wasn't like I spent large amounts of time in the bathroom.

"Because you weren't anywhere else," Adam said matter-of-factly, "believe me, I checked." I nodded, my head banging against the mirror slightly as I did so. I did believe Adam. He was a good friend. He would never be a traitor; would never defend Fitz. Even if what I did was kind of stupid. Too bad I hadn't realized that before I did it. I banged my head against the mirror once more with a little more force, just for good measure. "Hey, man, you okay?"

"Stupid question," I mumbled; my voice full of self-loathing. I was such a goddamn idiot!

"Okay…," Adam clearly didn't know what to do or say. He stood there in silence for a few minutes before hoisting himself up onto the counter on the other side of the sink. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked finally, tentatively. Did I? I wasn't even sure what was going on in my head right now- my emotions a strange, indecipherable mixed of hatred for myself and Fitz, annoyance with Clare, hurt, betrayal, anger, and frustration. How could I talk about something I couldn't identify; then again, maybe talking though it would help me decide what to do next.

"Couldn't hurt," I decided, but didn't say anything else.

"You know," Adam said, a smile playing along the edge of his lips, "talking about something usually requires some…talking."

I rolled my eyes at him, but I couldn't help the small smile that escaped. Leave it to Adam to make me smile when all I felt like doing was breaking something. "I don't know what to say," I admitted.

"Just tell me what happened," Adam shrugged, as if it were simple.

"I did something futile without thinking about the consequences, and now I'm wallowing in self-pity because Clare's upset with me and seems to be more concerned about Fitz," that summed it up nicely. I whacked my head against the mirror again, even harder than the last time.

Adam narrowed his eyes at me, "That's not going to solve anything. Actually, you're losing brain cells every time you do that, and you can't really afford to function on any less than you have at the current moment. So, stop it," his voice rung with authority. I lifted my head and turned to look at him, my mouth slipped into a little 'o' of astonishment. Where did that come from? "Good," Adam was satisfied that he had received my full attention, "Now, if you knew slipping Fitz ipecac was stupid, then why the hell did you do it?"

"Isn't that just the million dollar question? You win the prize," I mocked sarcastically.

"I can't really help you if you're going to be this much of an asshole," Adam shot at me.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. When I'm upset I compensate by being a jerk to everyone I care about the most," I surrendered. That right there was the source of all my problems.

"Gee, really? I hadn't noticed," Adam's sarcasm was pretty diluted compared to mine, but the effect was still there.

"And now Clare hates me," I whispered letting my frustration and pain break though. Although, I couldn't exactly play the victim entirely- I wasn't exactly happy with Clare either at this given moment.

"Dude," Adam started, "Clare's not capable of hating anyone. Least of all you." His tone suggested that talking to me was like trying to explain a simple concept to a kindergartener for the hundredth time.

"That might have been true before tonight," I allowed, "but now her and Fitz are probably on Cloud 9 together." I shook my head disgusted.

"Eli," Adam practically yelled in my ear, "you keep losing sight of the fact that Clare is on this date with Fitz for you. She's not with him because she wants to be, she went with him tonight so he wouldn't kill you, and so that you can stop focusing all your energy on this feud, and focus on your relationship. She keeps defending him because, you're right, what you did was pretty idiotic, and she was justifiably disappointed in you. That does not mean, however, that she cares about you any less. Jeeze, when did you get so dense!" Adam threw his hand up in exasperation when I didn't answer, and slid off the counter. "Have fun sulking," he spat at me before truing toward the door.

I jumped off the counter as well. "Wait," I said desperately, "Thanks, man. You're right. I have to go find Clare and apologize."

Adam nodded proudly, "Glad I could be of service. But seriously, it took you long enough." He shook his head and walked out of the bathroom leaving me alone with my thoughts once again.

Everything Adam had said was true, but that didn't take away the fact that I had acted like a complete Neanderthal. Clare was probably still pissed at me, so I should probably give her some more time to cool down before I found her to beg for mercy. I, on the other hand, was no longer upset with her. Adam was right; when had I let go of the fact that Clare was on this date for my benefit? I really was dense.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ipecac. Earlier it had seemed like such a good idea; completely worth it. But that one moment of satisfaction did not equate to the ill feelings that had settled around me since. I sneered at the ipecac, as if it could be held responsible for my actions, before chucking it at the trashcan. It sailed right in; I smiled grimly to myself. This night could not have gone any worse than it did, but, the sad thing was, I really couldn't blame anyone but myself.

'_No_,' I thought to myself, '_that's not exactly true_.' Fitz was still the biggest wretch I had ever encountered. I was still pissed at him. Even though everything I had done was stupid he was still the one who had started it at the end of the day; he was still the bully.

I looked around the bathroom; there really wasn't any reason for me to hang around in there any longer, so I walked to my locker. I really didn't want to be around people right now- I was still in a miserable mood. I pulled my iPod out of my jacket pocket and slipped my headphones in. Once again I was trying my hardest to drown all my thoughts in my music.

As I walked aimlessly through the hallways my mood just seemed to darken. I had literally spent my entire life running from all the jerks out there who assumed that just because I was different it was their right to ridicule me for it. School after school, year after year, there was always someone there to remind me that I would never fit in. Not that I really wanted to fit in, but if I wasn't so stubborn maybe I would have worked harder at flying under the radar. I was competitive and defiant though, so I just made my situations worse- just like this one. I had thought that once I met Clare my life had taken a turn for the better. She just had a way of making my outlook on life less…black.

I chuckled at the joke under my breath. I was such an ass; I should have just listened to Clare. Feeling my self-loathing kick in again I backed up into the lockers, falling into them with a satisfying _clang_. I was through with running away and feeling bad for myself. It was time to take responsibility, and to handle this thing with Fitz maturely.

Just as I was thinking this Clare ran into the hallway. She had a frantic air about her, but she sighed in relief when she saw me. I heard her shoes click against the floor as she ran toward me, and she ripped the headphones out of my ears. Before I even had the time to ask her what was wrong she was whispering at me hysterically, "Come with me- Fitz has a knife." I stared into her eyes; she was terrified. "This is where we run; let's go!" Clare tugged on my arm trying to get me to move.

But, I reminded myself, there would be no more running away. Besides, this was my shot to talk to Fitz calmly and rationally. I could be mature about this, and talk Fitz out of taking this any further. It was time to stand up to him not by fighting fire with fire, but by taking the route Clare had wanted me to in the first place: I would be the bigger man.

"I'm not going to let the jerk scare me," I told her. I had reached my wits end, and it was time to settle this thing once and for all.

"Eli, he has a knife," Clare repeated, as if it hadn't sunk in the first time. She was pleading with me; her eyes desperate. She grabbed a hold of my other hand and pulled harder. I still refused to move.

"Awe," I heard a voice pierce though the darkness, "don't you two look cute." Unlike Clare's hushed whispers, Fitz's voice boomed, echoing through the halls. Clare looked at me one last time, her eyes conveying her terror. I almost tucked her under my arm and ran, if only for her sake, but I couldn't anymore, so I turned to face my attacker. His knife glinted in the darkness, catching the moonlight through one of the windows. It was menacing, and I felt my heart rate pick up. Part of me hadn't really believed that Fitz had a knife when Clare told me, but there it was. I could feel my body stiffen.

Fitz paused at the end of the hall only for a moment, but then he started to quickly pace toward us. Clare and I took careful, measured steps backward. "You should go," Clare said with no force whatsoever. I could hear her voice tremble just slightly. I did not like that she was here to witness this. I should have sent her away. But, knowing Clare, she wouldn't have left without me. Oh well, it was too late now to think about the options- I was out of them.

Fitz was quickly closing the space between us, "And let pretty boy make time with my date?" he asked Clare sarcastically. All I could do was watch the knife as Fitz came closer. My adrenaline made my heartbeat pound in my ears, and I could barely hear what they were saying. I felt like I was treading water, but, strangely, all my senses were sharpened. I was acutely aware of Clare's uneven breath as she tried in vain to calm herself down. I heard the dull thud of Fitz's boots as he clomped closer to us. I saw the crazed look in Fitz's eyes as he focused solely on me. My mouth tasted like rusty metal, and all I wanted to do was cry out. I clamped down on my tongue, making it bleed. I focused on trying to show Fitz I was not afraid of him, and I tried to take deep, even breaths. I tried so hard not to lose control.

"Please, Fitz," Clare pleaded, "don't do this." I heard her breath catch, she was about to go into hysterics.

"Shut up, bitch!" Fitz held up his hand to silence her. I narrowed my eyes, how dare anyone talk to Clare like that. I took a deep breath. I was still going to be mature about this. And I had to start by getting Clare as far away from that sharp knife as possible.

I gave her a gentle, but firm, shove to the other side of the hall. "Get away from me," I said every word as clipped as possible, trying to focus on Fitz now that Clare was safely tucked away in the other corner. I heard her come in contact with the lockers as I tuned back to face the one man who had caused me so much distress today alone. We were obviously standing at a crossroads, and someone had to get out of the car- there was no longer room for the both of us. "Look," I tried to reason with Fitz, the metallic taste in my mouth getting worse. I swallowed hard, "I'm sorry about before; about everything." This time the apology was sincere, but it was still a little too late. "You win," I surrendered desperately, my breathing started to sound erratic.

"I've heard that before," Fitz said taking a giant step forward, closing all the distance between us that was left. He shoved me, hard, backward, and then again. I couldn't speak or breathe. Fitz was literally backing me into a corner. I started to tremble- I could feel my insides shake as if I were cold, and then my legs went weak. I could barely hold up my weight.

"This time I'm serious," I told him, begging him to put the knife away. He shoved me back again, harder than the first time.

"So am I," he sneered, "You've had this coming for a while." My face was frozen in a terrified, shocked mask. I didn't know what to do, and my quick wit was all dried up.

"What's wrong, Emo Boy?" Fitz asked, towering over me, "Out of smart ass comments." I felt the door behind me, and I leaned against it, using it for support. I tried to discreetly push it open, but it was locked. I deflated; I was officially without an escape.

I saw Clare take a step toward me and Fitz. I caught her eye, and shook my head. Whatever she did, she could not get any closer. If one of us was going to get out of this unharmed it was going to be her. It had better be her. '_I love you, Clare. I'm so sorry about everything_,' I thought to myself, trying to get her the message through silent communication. As soon as I thought it, I realized it was true. I did love Clare, and I was a complete idiot for creating this mess. And now, I had to deal with the consequences.

I focused back on Fitz, the hand with the knife tensing up. He was getting ready.

"Please," I let all the sarcasm and defensiveness leak out of my body till it was just my vulnerability left. I felt like the contents of my brain had been spilled out for the whole world to see- leaving me .raw and embarrassed. "Don't do this," the desperation in my voice was thick. I couldn't take my eyes off the damn knife.

"Someone's got to shut you up," Fitz said ruthlessly. Then, with quickness, but deliberateness, Fitz stabbed the knife at me. I grabbed my stomach, and yelped- finally letting the cry escape. I heard Clare scream out in pain and horror. I took me a second to realize that I was not injured. Fitz had stuck the knife right into the wall. My knees finally gave out completely and I sank to the ground. My stomach rumbled uncomfortably, and closed my eyes and leaned my head back. I tried to make my pace slow back down, but all I could see was the knife coming at me again and again. I still felt exposed and defenseless, but slowly the relief started to crawl through my veins.

It was over, and I was still alive. I looked back up at the knife in the wall, my head swimming with confusion. Holy shit.

Just then, Clare run up to where I had collapsed on the floor, and quickly dropped down to join me. She placed her hands on my shoulder and my knee, doing a once over to make sure I really wasn't hurt. Now that all the adrenaline had leaked out of my body I felt empty. Clare, once she was satisfied to find that the knife never actually made contact with me, sat back on her heels, breathing heavily. I could see the tears that had welled up in her eyes, and all she could do was stare at me, still shocked.

"Don't worry," the bastard was actually laughing, as if that had all just been in good fun, "you can bleach out urine stains." I let my head droop backwards.

All of a sudden, some police rushed into the hall with their flashlights, creating even more commotion. '_You're a little late_,' I thought to myself bitterly. "Hands up; nobody move," one of them called.

Fitz put his hands up in surrender, looking shocked that someone had called the police. They ushered him to the lockers, searching him before cuffing him.

I finally turned my head to look Clare in the eye. She shook her head slightly. She looked like I felt- like I had just run a marathon: tired and breathless. We watched silently as the police dragged Fitz out of the hall.

I turned back to Clare. "I am so sorry," I whispered to her, "for everything. I should have just listened to you about the ipecac, and none of this would have happened."

Clare nodded in agreement as a tear escaped, "I'm just glad you're alive," her voice was thick, and she swatted away the tear. I reached forward to brush her bangs out of her eye, and to wipe away the next tear that fell.

"Me too," I smiled timidly at her. Clare paused a second before throwing her arms around my neck, her body pressing up against mine. She was so warm, and it felt amazing. I let my arms circle her and I deeply breathed in her scent. I could feel a few more of Clare's tears fall onto my neck just as Adam rushed into the hall.

Clare picked her head up at the sound of his voice, "Thank God. Are you two all right? Simpson and I have been searching everywhere for you."

"We're okay," I qualified, standing up. My knees were still a little woozy, but nothing unmanageable. I offered Clare my hand, and I helped her to her feet as well.

"I was freaking out when they put us on lockdown. Clare had already told me about Fitz having a knife, but they wouldn't let me come find you guys. It was torture." I just nodded at him. I didn't have the energy to keep up with his nervous rambling. "Come on, we've got to get back to the gym. They probably want us to go home now."

Clare and I fell into step behind Adam as we made our way back to the gym. Simpson was telling everyone to go home, so Adam gave us a group hug before running off to find his mom and Drew.

"I have to grab my coat. Will you wait for me here? We need to talk," Clare said ominously. I nodded at her; talking was probably a good idea. When she came back out she looked more relaxed, but also a little more frustrated. "Do you want to tell me what was up with you back there?" She demanded.

"What exactly are you talking about?" I was confused.

"When I told you Fitz had a knife you just stood there like some maniac with a death wish. I don't understand why," She sounded upset that she didn't get what had been going on in my brain.

"Ah," I said, now that I knew what she was talking about, "I just got fed up with running." She shot me a confused look. I decided to tell her about the very first bully I had encountered. "When I was nine," I started as we walked out the door, and into the unusually frigid air. The cold cleared my head, "there was this kid Mike. His hobby was beating me up." I shook my head, remembering, "It didn't matter how fast I ran, he was always faster." Just then Fitz walked passed us, meeting my eye before being shoved into the back of a cruiser.

"You're not nine anymore," Clare pointed out as we stopped on the sidewalk.

It was a valid enough point, but, "Well, neither are the bullies, so what am I supposed to do?" I demanded.

She paused, considering my question. "I don't have the answer," she told me finally, "but if it's this then I can't be with you."

My heart sank, and I turned to look at her. We were going to work this out. Besides, it wasn't like this could happen again- Fitz was going to jail. And I for sure wasn't letting anything get this out of control ever again. I wasn't going to let Clare leave me because of Fitz. I had showed some poor judgment, but things would be different now.

"Is someone going to explain what happened?" Simpson came up angrily behind us.

Clare turned to face him, explaining herself, "Fitz was going to fight some kids at school, so, to stop it, I set off the stink bomb," she confessed. "When you started questioning people…I panicked," Clare went on nervously, so I jumped in on her behalf. This was, after all, my fault.

"So I blamed Fitz. I guess he got mad, and decided to teach me a lesson."

Simpson was shocked and disappointed, "So you lied to me?"

"Yes, sir," Clare admitted, ashamed.

"Well, there will be consequences," he warned us.

A policewoman walked up to him, pushing along Sav and Holly J. "Excuse me, sir," she spoke up, "I found this one stripping in an empty classroom," the police declared, disgusted. Holly J blushed, and bowed her head. '_Way to go, Sav_,' I thought to myself, impressed. I had no idea him and Holly J were more than just friends.

Simpson looked at them, but didn't speak. Finally, he started to walk away, but Holly J spoke up. "Mr. Simpson, I am so, so sorry," she pleaded.

"I don't want to hear it!" Simpson yelled. I hadn't been at Degrassi too long, but even I knew that was out of character for him. Clare jumped a little, and I grabbed her hand and squeezed. She squeezed back, so I decided her threat earlier had not carried much weight. She still wanted to be with me, even if I did have a terrible system of management when it came to bullies. 'I trusted you…all of you," Simpson continued, his eyes landing on Clare and me. "I've never been so disappointed in my life."

"We didn't mean for any of this to happen," Holly J said, still trying to reason with him even though it was clear the guy just needed some space right now.

"Yeah," Sav joined in, "there must be something we can do to make it better." Sav was always the optimist.

"It's too late," Simpson said turning back to face us, "There's going to be changes," he warned us. "Big changes- when you all get back from break; you won't recognize this school at all." His voice was a clear warning as he turned back to go inside.

I looked at Clare, she was pale, and her hand was freezing. "I'll drive you home," I whispered softly in her ear. She nodded, and we waved to Holly J and Sav before walking to Morty.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Clare asked worriedly.

I shrugged, unlocked Morty, and climbed in. Frankly, I wasn't too worried about what Simpson had meant. Clare slipped into the passenger seat, and I turned on the heat. "I'm sorry, Clare," I told her yet again, "I know I've said that a lot today, but I have never been more sorry in my life. I should have listened to you, I shouldn't have put you through that, and I promise that something like that will never happen again. Just please, don't leave me." I looked her in the eye the entire time I delivered my apology. There was no way she could doubt the sincerity of it.

"I'm still kind of upset with you," she started, "but I won't leave you. I don't really want to," she graced me with a small smile. I pulled out of my parking spot, and started toward her house.

"Thank you," I smiled as she grabbed my hand. We drove in silence till we reached her house.

"Tomorrow, I leave for my Grandma's," Clare reminded me, sadness coloring her voice.

"I'll be here for you when you get back," I assured her, and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. She blushed, and turned to give me a quick peck on the lips before hopping out.

"Thanks for the ride," she waved at me, and then disappeared into the house. I watched her go, and realized that I didn't care what changes they made to Degrassi. The only reason I loved going there had just vanished into her house.

I was already aching for Spring Break to be over.

**That was…intense. There is no other word for it. Writing that was seriously like I was living it with Eli. I have that issue- I get way too far into my character's heads. Hah. Anyway, I have no idea if that was any good, so if you could give me your feedback I would really appreciate it. I'm worried that it was all kinds of crap. **

**And even if you do think it was crap, thanks for reading! =)**

**Coming soon: Love Lockdown- Parts 1&2**


End file.
